A Brother's Sacrifice
by strawberryfinn
Summary: ON HIATUS [temporary]. Cody loves Zack. But how far would he go to protect his twin? Would he give up everything? Including himself?
1. Chapter 1

**Note**: I don't own _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_. Yeah, that's it.

Cody and Zack got off the bus at the stop and headed for the Tipton.

"School's over!" cheered Zack.

"Yeah, but we go back Monday," Cody reminded him.

Zack sighed in disgust. "School's a drag."

Cody looked at him in an offended matter, but Zack ignored him, pushing the doors to the Tipton open and crossing the lobby, followed by Cody.

Suddenly Zack grabbed Cody and pulled him behind a chair. "Look!" he said urgently.

"What?" Cody's disinterested eyes scanned the lobby. "I don't see anything."

"Look at _Maddie_," Zack muttered through clenched teeth.

"What about her?" Cody looked over at where Maddie was near her desk and realized what Zack was talking about. "Oh…"

Maddie was talking to a very attractive older boy. Cody heard Zack grimace behind him.

"Zack," he protested, "it's not _that_ big of a deal. Ok, I know. You've liked Maddie for almost a year, but you're too _young_ for her. It's not that hard to figure out. Think about it _logically_, Zack."

Zack stared at his brother. "You never fail to disgust me. Now give me your lunch."

"Why?" Cody wanted to know, but Zack grabbed his egg-salad sandwich that seemed to be growing mold out of his lunchbox, (Carey had made it), and launched it at the boy's head.

Cody watched in horror, (Zack in delight), as the sandwich spilled across the teen's tousled hair and spilled into his face.

Only, both twins weren't prepared for what happened next.

With a roar of horror, the teen turned around, egg salad flying everywhere. "WHO DID THAT?" he yelled.

Mr. Moseby was looking over in concern. "Sir, I must apologize," he said, running over and starting to clean the egg-salad off his hair with a few paper towels he had tucked in his pocket (that Esteban had persuaded him he would need one day). "This usually doesn't happen," he continued, throwing furious looks over his shoulder at Zack and Cody.

Cody looked at Zack. "I have a suggestion. Let's run."

The twins bolted, followed by a raving Mr. Moseby, and into their suite. Zack crashed into his mom.

"Hello Mother," he said quickly, and then disappeared into his room, followed by a panicking Cody.

Mr. Mosebey crashed into Carey.

"What is it?" she wanted to know.

"Your sons are disturbing my guests," he said, with as much grandeur as possible. "Once _again_."

"Cody! Zack!" Carey yelled at her boys to come out.

The twins came out, guilty looks on their faces.

"Explain," ordered Carey.

"It…" Zack started. "It wasn't my fault!"

Carey looked at him. "I've heard this way too many times."

"Ok, fine," Zack gave in, "I took Cody's sandwich and threw it at the guy in the lobby."

"Why?" Carey wanted to know.

"He was talking to MADDIE!" Zack yelped.

"Yeah, ok," Carey said. "You're both grounded."

"Me?" Cody nearly shouted. "WHY?"

"Because you were an accomplice," Carey said. "I know. Don't try to lie to me."

Cody tried to protest, but Carey wouldn't listen to it. "Go to your room." She turned to Mr. Mosebey. "I promise you, this won't happen again."

Mr. Mosebey looked at her. He started to laugh. "I'm sure it won't," he said, leaving the room chuckling.

When he left, Carey turned around and walked into Cody and Zack's room.

"How dare you get me in trouble again? I have better things to do with my time, you know."

"It wasn't my fault!" Cody yelped.

"I already told you why you're both being punished." Carey walked out of the room.

Cody glared furiously at Zack. "See what you do?"

"I do?" Zack said. "You tried to bail out on me, _again!_"

"But you never stay with me when you're in trouble too!" Cody protested.

Zack shrugged. "So?"

Cody felt anger. How was it that Zack got away with everything? "You're worthless," he sneered. "You're nothing. You always get your way out."

Zack turned. "You're not my brother. I hate you."

Cody's face paled and Zack smiled. He was glad Cody was hurt. He was glad.

Cody's eyes filled with tears and he ran from the room. Zack felt a quick feeling of guilt, but he brushed it away. Cody would come back. He always did.

xxx

Cody was rocking back and forth in a small corner out on the street. He wasn't coming out. Never. Ever.

Someone pushed roughly against him. Cody pushed the person away. Then he realized it was the guy from the lobby that Maddie had been talking to.

"You're that twin," he said, spitting on Cody's face. "That twin who through the sandwich in my hair."

Cody tried to protest. "You have the wrong one."

The teen grabbed Cody's hair. "No, you're the twin. And nobody gets in my way to Maddie, understand?"

Cody was about to scream for help, but the guy grabbed hard onto his neck, choking him.

Cody began to gag, but he kept on squeezing harder. And harder…

The teen used his knee to hit Cody deep in his stomach, so that he doubled over in pain. He kicked him—punched him, slapped him hard across the face. Cody knew nothing but pain. It hurt. _Sorry Zack,_ he managed to think before he passed out. _I love you._

_Review?_


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry, this is kind of short.

Chapter 2:

"Where's Cody?" Carey asked.

Zack was sitting on the bed, with an extremely stubborn looking face on. "Why would I care?"

"Zackary Martin," Carey looked Zack right in the eyes. "You know you care about your brother. Where is he?"

"I DON'T CARE!" Zack yelled at his mother. "He's not my brother. He's not!"

"Zackary Martin!" Carey shouted at her son. "Did you tell Cody that?"

Zack sulked. "Yeah," he offered lamely.

"Zack," Carey said, sitting down next to him. "You know how much that hurts your brother."

"I don't care," Zack said stubbornly. "I don't care about him. I hate him."

Carey's face suddenly became hard. "You know you don't really Zack. Think about it."

She turned and left the room, leaving Zack to dwell on his actions.

xxx

Cody was hurting. All over. He let out a small whimper of pain, as the teen finished with a blow to his head. He walked away, leaving Cody laying there in the dark corner of Boston where nobody would find him.

Cody tried to get up. He had to get to the Tipton. Back to mom… back to Zack… With a small groan, he collapsed. His sides were hurting. He felt broken.

Ok. He had to move. He decided that much. Using his hands, he reached forward and pulled himself along the ground. It hurt, but at least it was better than standing up. He reached up a hand to push his hair out of his face, and when he pulled it down, it was covered in blood. Great.

He spent about a minute vomiting to the side, and was horrified to find that blood came out as he coughed.

_I'm really bad off,_ he decided, and continued pulling himself along the ground, with only one goal in mind: to get to the Tipton.

Luckily, he hadn't been that far away to start with. (Cody had always been sort of afraid of being alone; he couldn't go too far without getting scared).

He managed to pull himself to the sidewalk, and out of the alley, where he realized that nobody would notice him. (It was nighttime, and everybody was sleeping).

"Help," he cried, almost embarrassed about how pitiful he sounded. "Help."

Nobody was there. Nobody would help him. He had to do this on his own.

xxx

Zack had hardly ever spent a night without Cody before. It made him nervous.

_Where is he?_ he thought. _Cody always comes back. Where is he?_

Maybe something bad happened to him. Zack pushed that thought out of his mind. No, nothing bad had happened. Cody was just mad. He'd be back, soon.

Carey wasn't there. She had a late shift downstairs, and Zack felt empty. He'd always just reach over and know that Cody was there. Only now, he wasn't.

And only now did Zack realize how much he needed his brother.

xxx

Cody had no idea how he had managed to pull himself over to in front of the Tipton, but he had managed to. His head was throbbing now, and he had to stop every once in a while. It hurt to move. It hurt to lift up his head. It hurt everywhere.

He went up to the revolving doors and found that there was no way he could get inside, so he just leaned against the building and sat there. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. That was all he could concentrate on right now.

Black spots began to cloud his vision, and for a second, he thought he was going to pass out. Only he didn't.

He almost wished for the sweet oblivion to sweep over him, but it wasn't happening.

He leaned over and threw up everywhere again. Blood. More blood.

Everything was red, and he was hurting. Everywhere.

Shaking convulsively, he leaned over. He had to get inside. They'd take care of him. He had to.

Standing up on shaking legs, he managed to get inside the revolving door, and moved into the Tipton. Then he collapsed, hearing the gasps that collected.

"Cody," Mr. Mosebey was crying for help. "Esteban, go get someone to help! Cody! Cody! Are you okay? Cody?"

Cody looked at him with glazy eyes. "I want Zack," he said, and then passed out cold.

xxx

Zack was almost asleep, but then he heard slams on the door. Opening it, he saw Esteban standing there, breathing hard.

"Go downstairs to the lobby," he managed to gasp. "Cody's down there. He is hurt very, very badly."

Zack's heart started pounding in his chest as he ran to the elevator and waited to get to the lobby. He kicked the elevator, cursing it for being so slow.

Cody couldn't be hurt. Cody couldn't be. The last thing Zack had said to him was that he hated him. And it couldn't end like this.

But a foreboding thought kept on creeping up his spine. The fact was… it could.

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